Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the household appliance.

If an appliance emergency arises in your home, unplug the appliance right away and then call Evans Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there is an electrical fire from one of the appliances inside your home, we recommend calling the local fire department even before attempting to put out the fire on your own.

An electrical fire from an appliance is very scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If an electrical appliance is in flames, it is important not to panic. Follow our simple guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires from ever starting by following some basic guidelines for appliance safety. Do not plug in more than two electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like clothes or paper near the outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the dangers of larger household appliances since they stay plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as small appliances like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you’re not at home, and do not keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.

Inspect all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one smoke detector on every floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in working order.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it could be tempting to put out the flames with water, however water should never be used to douse an electrical appliance fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source might give a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct the electricity to other parts of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable objects in the area.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you should do is to unplug the device from the power source and call the fire department. Even if you think you can put out the fire by yourself, it’s a good idea to have backup if the flames do get out of control.

For small fires, you may be able to use baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the fuming or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the fire with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance used in regulation fire extinguishers. You might be able to smother a smaller fire with a heavy blanket as well, but only if the fire is small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire.

For large electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be checked often to ensure they have not expired. If there is a operational extinguisher in the home, just release the pin at the top, point the nozzle at the fire, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight by yourself or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, shut the door behind you, and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Evans Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we can diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to working order.

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Appliance Repair Cost
Appliance Repair Tips
Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
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